Combination lock



n.. .QA A' Dec. 20, 1960 A. cHRlsTEN 2,964,936

COMBINATION LOCK Dec. 20, 1960 A. cHRlsTEN 2,964,936 I COMBINATION Locx Filed Nov. 21. 195s sheets-sneer 2 Dec. zo, 1960 A. CHRISTEN I 2,964,936

COMBINATION LOCK Filed Nov. 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 20, 1960 A. cHRlsTEN COMBINATION LOCK Filed NOV. 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ALBERT CHRISTEN NEY United States Patent 2,964,936 Patented Dec. 2t), 1960 tice `CGlVllINA'llilN LCK Albert Christen, Vesenaz-Geneva, Switzerland Filed Nov. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 775,404

Claims priority, application Switzerland Jan. 18, 1958 5 Claims. (Cl. 70-309) The present invention has for its subject a combination lock, to be applied to an inwardly opening door and of the type comprising a number of annular discs located in a casing in such a manner as to be capable of being driven in rotation about the same spindle concentric to all the discs, each disc having a notch for releasing the passage of a bolt,. a single dial type control member allowing the diterent discs to be manipulated.

Said combination lock is characterised in that it comprises a dial-type actuator having a pawl normally spring biased to disc actuating position and upon manual operation successively engaging and turning a related ringlike disc. This pawl is connected to the single control member adapted to impart an angular to-and-fro movement to the said pawl at each of its operations, each disc being provided on the one hand, with a stop with which co-operates the pawl during one of its advance movements so as to provoke the angular movement of the corresponding disc and, on the other hand, an internal sector connected to said stop, on which the pawl is guided during its return movement, the angle at which each internal sector extends depending on the corresponding row of the combination, said angle being also of a value just suiiicient so as to allow the pawl to fall on the sector of the following disc, in proximity to its stop, at the end of its return movement, in such a manner as to be in position for the operation of said'disc, and so on for the complete series of discs.

One form of construction of said combination lock is shown diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a general view in section of said lock.

Fig. la is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 1a1a of Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is an external view of the lock showing its control member.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan of the interior of the lock once` the casing is open, the members of said lock being shown in the opening position.

Fig. 4 is an internal view casing.

Figs. 5 to 1l illustrate diagrams showing, Iin developed view, the internal edge of the annular discs which said lock comprises in various positions.

Fig. 12 is an exploded view showing the mechanism within the base of the housing in perspective and with the discs having their bolt receiving notches alined to receive or release the bolt.

In the embodiment shown the lock of the present invention is applied to the face of an inwardly opening door but by closing the bolt receiving notch'in the cover and placing it in the base, while at the same time reversing the order of the discs, it could be applied to an outwardly opening door.

As shown, the lock comprises a casing including a base 1 and a xed cover 2 having a ange telescoping onto the central portion of the base. The said base may be, for example, provided with a series of circular conof the upper part ofthe and the said base and flange of the cover cooperate toV provide a keeper recess 5 accessible through slot 44 to -receive the bolt 6 on the door frame when the discs 7 are arranged in the selected combination to open the door.

The ring type annular juxtaposed discs 7 have inner and outer peripheral edge portions and their at adjacent surfaces in contact and said outer edge portions are seated on the respective bearing steps 3 of the base, and are all concentrically disposed. The cover 2 is provided with a hole 8 which receives the rotatable spindle 9 on the back of the selector dial 10. The inner end of the spindle has a recess 11 by which it becomes axially engaged with the stud 4.

The selector dial 19 has an inwardly offset peripheral flange which provides a recess 12 housing a spiral return spring 13. The inner end of said spring'is hooked to the spindle, while its outer'end is hooked to a pin 14 secured to the cover 2. Said spring 13 tends continually to return the dial 10 automatically into a position determined by stop means indicated in the drawings in dotted lines in Figure 2 as constituted by appropriate abutting parts 2a on the cover 2 under the dial 10, halfway between the numerals 0 and 1.

Referring to Figure 2, the dial 10 is provided with openings 15 arranged in a circular pattern around its axis. The characters for selecting the given combination are shown on the cover 2. beneath the dial and appear through the openings 15. In the example shown, the characters take the form of numerals, but it will of course be understood that letters of the alphabet may be used.

rThe outer face of the casing 2 carries a iixed inge'ry stop 16. The dial 10 with its openings 15 and said stop 16, permit of manually operating the control dial 10 in the same manner as a telephone dial. Thus, the combination may be composed in the same manner as a telephone number.

The internal portion of the spindle 9 'carries a drum 17 rigidly keyed therewith against angular movement by a screw 18 located between the spindle 9 and the central part of the drum.

The drum 17, keyed to spindle 9 of dial 10l and located at the inside face of the cover 2, is provided with a transverse slot 19 on its inner face opening toward the base 1, and, as shown inFigure 4, is disposed substantially tangential to the spindle 9. The bottom wall of the slot extends obliquely relative to the opposite faces of the*y drum. A pawl 20 is located in the slot and is hinged to the opposite walls thereof about an axis 21 at the shallow end of the slot (Figs. l and la). The pawl has ay suitable spring 22` secured thereto byfastenings 23 intermediate the pivot 21 and its free end which extends beyond the slot of the drum as shown in Figures l and 4. One end of the spring 22 bears against `the deep end of the slot 19 and, therefore, the spring tends to urge theof discs 7 through an arc of a length which is propor-A tionate to the composition of the selected combination. l

To that end each annular disc 7 is provided at its inner edge with a propelling shoulder 24 defining one wall of a substantially circular cavity and with which shoulder the pawl 20 engages during its forward movement imparted by a clockwise turning of the dial 10', to produce the angular rotary movement of the disc. In addition,`

each disc is also formed at its inner edge withan arcuate pawl transfer sector 25 communicating with and trailing said shoulder 24. This sector is depressed relative to the face of the disc having the shoulder. Thus, on the return counterclockwise stroke of the dial, the palwl rests on and is guided by said sector during its return movement and finally drops the pawl onto the sector of the next disc adjacent itsV shoulder 24.

The arcuate length of each trailing sector 25 depends upon the corresponding angular distance which a given disc moves ink dialing the combination. However, the length of each sector 25 must be of a value just sufficient to initially cover the shoulder 24 on the disc below, but to allow the free end of the pawl 20 to fall onto the face of the sector 25 of the next following disc in proximity to its own propelling shoulder 24. Thus the shoulder 24 of the adjacent disc will be in a position to be engaged by the free end of the pawl 20 on the next clock- Wise actuation of the dial 10.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 3, each disc 7 has a notch 26 opening at its outer edge adapted for the passage of the bolt 6. Therefore, when the notches 26 of all discs register, the bolt 6 may pass through opening 44 of the cover into the recess S, or alternatively be released therefrom. When it is desired to lock the bolt in the recess 5, the discs are rotated by operating the selector dial 10 to scramble or disarrange them so that solid portions thereof block the opening.

Each disc 7 is also provided on its inner edge with an inwardly disposed projection 27 angularly spaced from shoulder 24 (Fig. 3) and having its operative edge facing in the opposite direction from theoperative edge of the shoulder 24. The projections 27 of adjacent discs are adapted to cooperate with the vertically disposed scramble arm 2S (Figs. 5-11) whose height is substantially equal to all of the. juxtaposed discs. This arm 28 is part of a scrambling member 29, constituted by a full circle ring disposed at right angles to the arm and guided in a circular groove 30 in the bottom of the casing 1 for rotational movement (Figs. 1 and 12). Ring 29 is notched or depressed vertically over a portion of its length to provide the spaced oppositely facing shoulders 31e-31 so as to permit its being driven in rotation by the pawl 20 (Fig. 5) when its free end rests on the surface of the ring of the scrambling member 29. The said scrambling member 29 partially overlies a ramp ring 32 and both are concentric with and nested in the circular groove 30 formed in the base 1 (Figs. 3 and l2). It is also concentric with all of the discs 7.

The ramp ring has ramp whose inclined edge is intended to lift the free end of the pawl 20 against the force of its spring 22 into an initial elevated position in which the pawl is ready to drive the rst annular disc 7 of the series, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The ramp ring 32 is guided by the inner edge 33 of groove 30 along with member 29 and is provided with an abutment 34 constituted by the end of an upstanding rib which trails the ramp 35. The inclined edge of the ramp lifts the pawl 20 to its initial position of Fig. 6 during said pawls return movement. This inclined edge permits the free end of the pawl to fall in stages as graphically illustrated in Figs. 6-10 to successively engage a shoulder 24 and propel each disc 7, and, finally to move the scrambling member 29 by engaging one of the shoulders 31 as shown in Fig. 5.

Further, means are provided for the momentary locking of the ramp ring 32 and its ramp 35 in position for cooperation with the pawl 20. Said temporary locking means comprises a leaf spring 36 secured to the inner wall of ramp ring 32, the end of said spring 36 being adapted to cooperate with a notch 37 provided in the side wall 33 of the bearing surface of groove 30 (Fig. 3). The engagement of the spring 36 in the said notch 37 produces, momentary locking of the ramp ring 32 and of-'lits-ramp 35 relative to the base 1 of the' casing upon its. first clockwise movement. Further, a stop shoulder 38 is located at the high endV of the inclined edge of the said ramp 35 for cooperating with the pawl 20 on its iirst return counterclockwise stroke, causing the release or unlocking of said device 36, 37 as will later appear in the description of operation. The side wall 33 has a laterally recessed zone 39 permitting of an entirely free angular movement of the spring 36 and thus of the ring 32 over approximately a quarter of the circumference.

Also, each annular disc 7 is provided at its outer peripheral edge with notch 40 adapted to cooperate with the related springsy 41 secured within the base 1 of the casing. Said notches 41) and the corresponding springs 41 are adapted to ensure a stable position of each annular disc 7 when it has been moved by the pawl 20.

As shown in Figs. l and 4, the cover 2 of the casing has an opening 42 through which appears a mark 43, carried by the rst disc 7. SaidY mark 43 appears in the opening 42 when the annular discs 7 have been turned by the scramble ring 29 to dis-align slots 26. This return of the annular discs 7 to locking position is ensured by the upstanding arm 23 of scramble ring 29 coming into contact simultaneously with all of the resetting projections 27 of the discs 7 by operation of the control discs 19.

Short description of operation Before proceeding to the detail description of the operation, it is believed that it will be helpful to have a brief description, such as the following:

Assuming that the door carrying the bolt 6 is in locked position, that is the discs are scrambled. and the signal 43 on the rst disc is exposed through the window 42, the {ir-st step is as follows:

The operators finger is placed in the opening representing the irst digit of the combination. The dial 10 is then rotated clockwise until the operators ringer strikes finger stop 16, and the pawl 2) has pushed the rst disc to a position where its slot 26 will register with the opening in the cover and the base. As the operator releases his iinger pressure on the dial, the dial 10 and pawl 20 return counterclockwise due to spring 13, and after dropping off the sector 25 of the first disc, drops onto the sector 25 of the seconddisc so that the pawl 20 will be in position to engage shoulder 24 of the said second disc. The operator then puts his finger in the opening of the dial corresponding to the second digit of the combination and turns the dial so that the second disc 7 will be propelled through an appropriate arc to position its slot 26 in registry with the opening in the cover and base. Releasing the dial permits the pawl 20 to drop off the end of the sector 25 and onto the sector 25 of the next disc. This operation is continued until all movements of the combination have been dialed When this occurs, all of the notches 26 will be aligned and bolt 6 may be released from the recess 5.

If it is desired to lock the bolt 6 in the recess 5, the following steps are pursued.

The operator puts his iinger in the 0 position of the dial and turns it until his finger reaches the stop 16. During this operation, the pawl 20 which now overlies the ramp ring 32 and rests upon scramble ring 29, is rotated clockwise and strikes one of the shoulders 31 of the scramble ring, causing the scramble ring 29 to move clockwise and its arm 28 to successively engage projections 27 of all of the rings 7 to cause them to be scrambled.

As the dial continues to move toward the nger stop and pawl 2u continues to move, it engages the abutment 34 on the. tail ofthe ramp ring 32 and moves the ramp ring clockwise until its pawl 36 enters notch 37. As nger pressure is released and the dial turns counterclockwise, the pawl will ride up the edge of the ramp 35, strike abutment 3S and push the ramp ring counterclockwise a shortdistance until the end of the pawl 20 is positioned above the sector 25 of the uppermost ring. The

mechanism is then in condition for dialing additional` digits of the combination in order as shown in Figure 6.

Detail description of operation In the example shown, the movement into the initial or door locked or scrambled position of the annular discs 7 is eEected by actuating the control disc 10 from the position of of the series of numbers. In this case, the signal 43 appears in the opening 42, which indicates that all the annular discs 7 are located in the initial position for dialing the given combination. During the foregoing operation, the following conditions exist. The operator dials 0 and while his nger is still held against stop 16, it will be understood that the ramp ring 32 `has been driven by the pawl Ztlbearing against the abutment 34 in such a manner as to bring the spring 36 into notch 37 which corresponds to the so-called momentarily locked position of the ring 32 and its ramp 35, as shown in Figure 5.

At the moment the user releases finger pressure on the dial 10, the spring 13 returns said dial to its initial or starting position and at the same time simultaneously effects a return movement of the pawl 20. On this return movement, the free end of said pawl 20 slides upwardly along the inclined edge of the ramp 35 against the force of its spring 32. When the said pawl 20 is near the end of its return stroke, its free end strikes shoulder 38 on ramp 35 which causes the unlocking of the ring 32 due to disengagement of spring 36 from the notch 37.

The free end of the pawl 20 then drops down and bears against the inner sector 25 of the first disc 7, in proximity to its stop 24. The corresponding position of the different members of the lock is shown in Fig. 6. This position is thus the initial position from which the combination may be composed. In the example illustrated and assuming that the number of the combination is found to be the number 3527, the user rst drives the disc 10 by engaging his finger in the opening 15 corresponding with the number 3. Thus the pawl 2t) moves the rst annularY disc 7 by driving it by its stop shoulder 24, so as to bring it into the position shown in Fig. 7 When the user releases the dial 10 by withdrawing his linger from the opening 15, the end of the pawl 20 is guided by the end of the inner `sector 25 of the first disc 7 which is of a length just suiiicient so that at the end of said sector 25, the pawl falls on to the sector 25 of the following disc 7, in proximity to its stop shoulder 24.

When actuating the disc 10 from the figure 5 position, the user drives the second annular disc 7 into the position shown in Fig. 8. The release of the dial 10 provokes the drop of the pawl 20 on to the inner sector of the third dial 7. The user then actuates the control disc 10 from the number 2 position, so as to bring the third disc 7 into the position shown in Fig. 9. A fresh release of the dial 10 allows the pawl 20 to fall on the sector 25 of the fourth dial 7. By then actuating the control disc 10 from the number 7 position the user brings this fourth annular disc 7 into the position shown in Fig. 10. The notches 26 of the fourth annular disc 7 are thus aligned with similar notches in the other discs and in coincidence with the recess 5 of the casing. The lock is thus open and the bolt 6 can be disengaged or engaged in the casing 1, 2 through the opening 44 provided in the upper part 2 of the casing.

When the user desires to bring the lock into the closed position it is sufficient for him to actuate the disc from 0 position of the scale, so as to produce a disarrangement of the annular discs 7 producing the recovering of the opening 5 in the plain part of each of the discs 7. This disarranged or confused position of the lock is thus produced by the driving of the scrambling member 29 by the pawl 20 engaging in one of the notches 31 of said member 29. This disarranged position of the discs 7 has been shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1l in developed view.

A fresh operation for the purpose of opening the lockis effected by causing the dial 10 to `again turn from the 0 of the scale, so that the pawl 20, by engaging in the second of the notches 31 of the disarranging member 29, moves the discs 7 into the initial position indicated' by the appearance of the mark 43 in the opening 42.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the operation lock, instead of operating the dial 10 from the number 3,' he commences the operation thereof from the gure 4,'I

during the return movement of the pawl 20, this, after being guided on the internal transfer sector 25 of the first disc 7, will fall directly against the ring of the disarranging member 29, in view of the fact that the internal sector 25 of the first disc 7, provided for the figure 3, is not of suicient length to permit the pawl 20 to fall on the sector 25 of the following disc 7.

The degree of inviolability of said lock is thus very particularly high.

It will be understood that various modifications may be'made in said lock. Thus, the discs 7, instead of being of different diameters, may all have the same diameter and be guided in a part of the casing 1 perfectly cylindrical internally. As regards the locking device 3,6, 37,y it may be replaced by any other momentaneous locking device with a spring or a ball, the spring being secured either to the ring 32, or to the part 1 of the casing. As

regards the single control member 10, instead of being constituted by a disc in the form of a selection disc of a telephone apparatus, it may be constituted by'any con-- ment of the key of the ordinary lock in the opening 44A and through therecess 5 exposed by the notches26 of the different discs 7.

I claim:

1. A dial-type character exhibiting lock for engaging and releasing a bolt, comprising, in combination, a base, a cover having a slot for receiving the bolt, a series of concentric ring-type discs each having an inner and outer edge with their sides juxtaposed in sliding contact and each having at its inner edge a propelling shoulder and a trailing depressed transfer sector, the shoulder and sector on one disc being in staggered angular relation to the shoulder on an adjacent disc, each disc also having a projection on its inner edge angularly spaced from said propelling shoulder, each disc further having a bolt receiving notch in its outer periphery for registry with a similar notch on an adjacent disc to release the bolt; a ramp ring including a ramp having an inclined edge terminating in an upstanding abutment, a scramble ring co-axially disposed with the ramp ring, said scramble ring having an arm for engaging said projection on the inner edge of each disc, and a dial controlled pawl mounted at the inside face of the cover and adapted upon successively turning the dial clockwise to engage the propelling shoulder of a related ringtype disc to make the selected combination of characters, said pawl sequentially dropping from the transfer sector of one disc to engage the propelling shoulders of a succeeding disc, said scramble ring having a shoulder to be engaged by the pawl-when the dial is turned to rotate the discs to locking position because of the arm of the scramble ring engaging said projections on the inner edges of the ring type disc.

2. A dial-type lock according to claim 1, wherein, the ramp has a stop shoulder to arrest the pawl in starting position after it has moved up the inclined edge of the ramp to be in position to repeat a new cycle.

3. A dial-type lock according to claim l, wherein, the

In this case the combinationv lock should be.

baseY is providedwith a groove and said ramp ring and Scramble ring are turnably positioned in said groove, and the inner edge of `said groove has a notch, a' spring on the innerA edgeof theramp ring for engagement and disengagement with saidnotch, and said ramp ring havingv having a substantially centrally located annular groove.

on its inner face, a cover having a dial stop and a finger stop, a plurality of juxtaposed annular ring-type discs each having a bolt receiving notch in their outer edge, a propelling shoulder and. a resetting projection at their inner edge, said discs also having their inner peripheral portionsof the Vsame, diameter and their outer peripheral portions slidably engaging within the cup-like portion of the base for differential angular movement about the axis of said groove, a scramble member in the form of a ring having at its outer edge an arm extending parallel to the inner peripheries of the discs, a ramp ring, said scramble ring and ramp ring being concentrically disposed in side by side relation in said groove, a ramp having an inclined edge and carried by the ramp ring, and means for angularlyadjusting said discs from an unlockingposition where the bolt receiving notches are in registry to a selectedflocked position where the notches are out of registrypsaid means comprising a spindle on the cover, a drum on the spindle between the base and cover, said drum having a transverse slot, a springfpressed pawl mounted in said VslotV and having its free end adapted for propelling engagement successively with the propelling shoulder of each disc, and a dial type actuator on the spindle and spring biased counterclockwise toward the dial stop on the cover, said actuator having openings exposing characters on the face of the cover, said dial when turned once in a clockwise direction will cause said pawl to move the scramble ring so that its arm will pick up said resetting shoulders on all discs and return them to position Vto be re-dialed for the next opening of the lock.

5. A lock for engaging and releasing a bolt, comprising,vin combination, a casing including a base having an annular groove inwardly of its outer edge, a cover for the base and having characters thereon, a finger stop on the cover, a plurality of juxtaposed ring type annular discs, in the base each having a bolt receiving notch in its outer edge and also having at its inner edge a propelling shoulder and an arcuate transfer sector in trailing relation thereto, said shoulder and transfer section disposed within planes dening opposite faces of the disc, a resetting I'shoulder projecting from the inner periphery of each disc, a scramble member rotatable in said groove and including a ring having an arm at right angles thereto, a ramp ring, said scramble ring and ramp ring being concentrically disposed in side by side relation to said groove, and-said arm of the scramble member disposed in close proximity to the inner peripheral portions of the annular discs for engaging the resetting shoulders of the discs,

and means for angularly adjusting said discs from a givenV open bolt receiving position to a selected locking position, said means comprising, a dial-type actuator disposed coaxially with the said annular discs and normally spring biased toward the iinger stopand having openings exposing said characters on the face of the cover, a spindle for said actuator having its axis coinciding with the axis of the annular discs and the scramble ring and the ramp ring, a drum on the spindle between the base and cover, said drum having a transverse slot and a pawl mounted in said slot and spring urged to have its free end adapted for sliding engagement with the inclined edge of the ramp to return to starting position. g

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,069,572 Berggren Feb. 2, 1937 2,125,607 Fuchs Aug. 2, 1938 2,289,234 Berggren f July 7, 1942 

